


Paladins of the Pacific

by Tempesta_Tricolor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, F/M, Jaeger Pilots, Jaegers (Pacific Rim), Kaiju (Pacific Rim), M/M, Mutual Pining, Partnership, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2018-12-31 22:22:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12142371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tempesta_Tricolor/pseuds/Tempesta_Tricolor
Summary: When a second Breach is detected in the Pacific, The Pan Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC) establishes a strike group consisting of 5 Jaegers and their esteemed pilots, most of which are rather young and inexperienced. They are tasked with defending humanity from the kaiju threat of the second Breach, discovering things about themselves and their teammates.~The Pacific Rim AU that nobody (but myself) ever wanted.





	1. Storm Brewing

**Author's Note:**

> Jaeger - Giant mech co-piloted by two rangers through the Drift.  
> The Drift - Mental link between rangers and their jaeger.  
> The Breach - Portal from another world that the kaiju emerge from.

There was a sudden flash of lightning in the distance, a visual assault to her sleepy eyes. Pidge _would_ have been frightened if not for the fact that she was currently being deployed in to fight a  _giant_ monster. Hell, even if she wasn't actually being deployed, she's still in a colossal mass of alloys and metals and electronics that meshed together to present the image of 275 foot armored human. Complete with digitigrade legs, but that's beside the point. She also has her partner. The partner she just so happened to be compatible with. The very partner that flirted with just about anything that walked on two legs and could respond to his _horrid_ pick-up lines.

Another flash of lightning, far closer than before. Must be due to the very nature of the structure they were in, Pidge hypothesizes. The flashes of light reveal the deep blue paint of the Jaeger, complete with bright green accents throughout the frame. A loud ping alerts her and her partner to an incoming call from their superiors, a welcome break from the heavy rain and thunder.

"Cryptic Dancer, this is Commander Nielson, your mission has been altered. You are no longer to act according to your briefing. You will be assisting Mammoth Apostle immediately to intercept the kaiju 'Cthulhu' before it makes landfall at San Jose. You will be accompanied by Juggernaut Solstice within the hour. Is that clear?"

"Clear as can be, sir, considering the situation," Lance quipped almost instantly. Pidge only scoffs and mutters a barely audible "understood".

Lance didn't currently sport his signature smirk, he was too busy being a bit upset at being woken up at this ungodly hour to defend humanity. It just wasn't fair that kaiju took precedence over his own beauty. His line of thought earned him a glare from Pidge complimented with insulting imagery in his mind since he completely forgot that his mind was linked with Pidge's. 

"Just worry about the task at hand, you don't _always_ have to be a pretty boy, Lance. Quit your whining, you don't see me complaining about my interrupted programming se-"

"Yeah? That's because you didn't **_say_ ** anything Pidge. Shard thoughts, remember," retorted a very agitated Lance, much quicker than he could usually respond, Pidge admits ("I'm offended").

Their Jaeger slowed to a halt as the Jumphawks, absurdly strong helicopters, prepared to drop them into the sea below. 

Lance smirks before stating, "Looks like this is our stop," as they swayed in the stormy wind.

"You can stop with the false bravado Lance, there's no one to impress here. I can feel that you're extremely nervous, seeing as this is our first sortie and all, and I'm right here with you," says Pidge as she looks at Lance with a soft, somewhat unreadable expression.

Heat rises to Lances face as he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding before exclaiming, "First, last, doesn't matter! We got this, and besides, there is one person here I can wow with my moves."

Pidge wasn't sure if he was reassuring her or himself. She wants it to be the former because God knows she needed, but it's also likely to be the latter. She ignores the second half of his statement for the time being, though. She reaches for the control panel above her to release Cryptic Dancer from it's harness, dropping the Jaeger into the thigh high ocean waters. The duo prepares for a fight as they trudge through the stormy ocean.

Lance, having the superior eyesight, spots Mammoth Apostle in the distance along with the beauty sleep-interrupting kaiju. Boy was it an ugly bastard. It looked as if a lobster and a blob/cuttlefish hybrid had an affair and it was the product. 'Doesn't seem like the naming system is all that arbitrary, huh,' Lance thinks to himself. Pidge nods in agreement as they both come to a sudden realization.

Their fellow rangers are _losing_.

Mammoth Apostle was, in fact, losing. Hard. The kaiju, Cthulhu, was landing blow after blow, never once allowing for a break in it's assault. Several glancing blows to the conn-pod, or head, left the rangers continually dazed, staggering their Jaeger with each blow becoming increasingly deadly. Pidge and Lance can only run so fast in Cryptic Dancer. It may be a Mark IV, but it isn't the greatest runner, especially when it's nearly waste deep in water. Cthulhu raises what appears to be an arm above it's head before bringing it down onto Mammoth Apostle, ripping through the armor on the torso.

The other rangers attempt to retaliate when their core is compromised only to have their left arm violently ripped off amid the confusion. They begin to panic, believing their Jaeger to be their coffin.

"Hold on, we're almost there!" Lance yells into the comm system, voice cracking with urgency.

"Can you hear us?! Is anyone there?" asked an increasingly worried Pidge. "Their system must be down."

Before they could reach their allies, Mammoth Apostle lost it's footing and disappeared under the crashing waves, Cthulhu keen on keeping it submerged. The kaiju reveals several more 'arms' and begins hammering away at the downed Jaeger. Each blow tears through the Jaeger like tissue paper, destroying vital systems. Mammoth Apostle lay dead in the water, falling apart at each section. Lance and Pidge can hear the pilots screaming for help, _their_ help, and they're trying their damnedest to get to them. Before any real ground is covered, Cthulhu brings one of its primary claws down onto Mammoth Apostle's conn-pod, crushing the rangers with a small explosion to boot.

They were only a few seconds too late, they both thought as they shoulder tackled the offending kaiju. 

"Alright, we got this Lance, remember, be calm. We can handle this asshat."

Lance contorts his face in anger and agrees with Pidge. "Damn right we can."

Before and more moves are made, Commander Nielson makes contact. "Cryptic Dancer, you must take this kaiju on your own. Juggernaut Solstice is now being deployed closer to the shore to prevent landfall. God speed rangers."

The system goes off with an uncharacteristic crackle. Kaiju must be affecting it somehow. Doesn't matter now as the pair takes a defensive stance. Their opponent is no longer stunned and began it's enraged approach.

Lance smirks and glances sideways at Pidge, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Not exactly, but I know what you have in mind."

A detached voice says 'Preparing Lyric canon to fire' before Cryptic Dancer's torso opens to reveal a sonic canon, the panel itself sporting smaller a supporting canons and a complex targeting system that fixes itself on the shoulder. This almost seemed like suicide with how close the kaiju was, but the canon required no real start-up.

The blast from the canon was powerful enough to topple the kaiju over along with disorient it. Pidge, in command of the left hemisphere, raises the left arm and activates the Hyper Dagger, which was more or less a cross between a blade and grappling hook. 

Pidge receives a knowing look from Lance as they rush over to the downed kaiju with a vengeance. 

Lance, using the right arm, holds onto one of the massive claws as Pidge takes the opportunity to stomp the left leg onto the kaijus midsection and sever the claw Lance was holding onto. The armored body of the kaiju would be too hard to penetrate as it stands, so they resort to savagely stomping the their foe as it's down. 

Of course Lance chooses now to lose focus as he looks over at Pidge who carried a face of determination. He found that extremely.. endearing? 'Wait, no. Not now', he thinks to himself as he dashes his previous observation from his mind. It also helped that Pidge herself told him, very audibly, to focus. He'll worry about it later, but for now he'll take it out on this asshole of a kaiju. 

Instead of also using the Hyper Dagger himself, Lance decides to use the Cryo Caster. The bighead nerds that designed it called it a freeze _RAY,_ but really its just a weaponized coolant system if he's being honest.

With unmatched unison, the duo execute a deadly combo they'd practice many times before with Lance freezing the kaiju's hideous head and Pidge utilizing centrifugal force with the dagger in 'whip' mode. A _smashing_ victory, if you will.

Lance looked to Pidge with a teasing look and says, "Wasn't too rough for your first time, was it?"

Pidge's face went red immediately as she scowled at Lance. Thank God that her helmet was obscuring the obvious blush.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Back in Black Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets reunited with a ghost from his past. Whether he's happy about is anyone's guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shatterdome - Base of Operations for the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. Where the Jaegers and pilots are housed, as well as JCEC and Kwoon Training rooms.

Keith, having only been deployed once before, has already lost his drift partner to a tragic incident outside of combat. While he didn't particularly know the man very well, he still felt like utter garbage having lost someone who'd definitely be a lifelong friend. Be that as it may, the top brass have already assigned him another partner. He didn't really know how they determined how they chose someone so quickly, nor did he really care, he wasn't ready for someone else. He already lost someone he cared about deeply two years before, and he just lost someone not even a week ago. It was just too soon. 

Just  _who_ could they have found that was already compatible.

He sighs and leans on the cold iron wall of his room in the Anchorage Shatterdome. Place wasn't so bad, considering its location. Sure it was cold, very cold, but it was suitable for a hot head like Keith. 

There's the signature whine of his door opening thats followed up with, "Officer Kogane?".

Keith wasn't exactly expecting any company, especially no one relaying any news. He quickly regains his composure after being slightly startled (he was actually quite frightened by the sudden noise) and clears his throat. "Yeah, thats me. New orders?"

"Yes and... news of your new partner. You'll be meeting him officially within the day; Most likely to test your compatibility if I'd wager a bet," the small woman, Plaxum if he remembered correctly, answers. 

Keith looked her in the eye for the first time since she'd entered the room, pale blue eyes met deep blue eyes. He took a breath, all of a sudden nervous at the thought of the question he was about to ask. "Can.. can you tell me who I'm being paired with?"

"Sadly I cannot. I wasn't given that information, probably because they knew you'd ask. Whoever it is, they really want it to be a surprise. Maybe it's someone you know!"

Her enthusiasm is somewhat calming, if not naive. Not many people are drift compatible to begin with, and on top of that he hardly even knew anyone. Instead of dismissing the idea, though, Keith only agrees with a small smile and a tense nod. 

_**~Later in the Jaeger Docks~** _

Having spent the majority of his day reading and sulking in his room, Keith was more than welcoming to the faint scent of rust, ocean water, and various liquids accompanied by sounds of machinery whirring throughout the facility. His Jaeger, Excalibur Black, was currently being washed and... wait, what are they doing? Upon his Jaeger, specifically the conn-pod, is a crew that is currently outfitting something internally and externally. 'Just what the hell is going on' he thought to himself. 

"They're making accommodations for your new partner. It is a necessary requirement, I assure you." Keith was taken aback by the sudden commanding voice.

For the second time today, Keith had been startled by someone suddenly speaking to seemingly out of the blue. Wait, how did he know what he was thinking? Had he said his thoughts aloud again? Before he could ask, however, the man motioned for him to follow. Just who is this stranger?

"I am Commander Thace. Former Ranger now recommissioned. I have been tasked with retrieving Excalibur Black and its pilots. Now, your-," the man, Thace, managed to say before being cut off by a _very_ confused Keith.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that some top brass has sent your to retrieve me and me Jaeger? I don't understand whats happening here." Keith, who is normally pretty intuitive, was completely stumped. Sure he is fighting for the survival of the human race in a massive machine, but what could be so urgent that he needed to be _retrieved._ "And you said you were recommissioned. Why's that?"

Thace exhaled, clearly not sure how to answer at the moment. "I'll let my partner inform you of the details along with the others. For now, you just need to meet your co-pilot and establish a connection."

Did he just say others? "Did you say _others_? What _others?_ " Before Keith could continue to probe the Commander, he heard a faint "Right this way, sir", which managed to gain his attention. Surely it was his new partner being led to their Jaeger. Turning slowly, he made his way toward the source of the voice, but not before slinging a quick "We'll discuss the subject later" at Thace. 

The long and hard stride of his could be heard from miles away, as everyone had told him before. Turns out they weren't exaggerating as much as he thought they were. The girl from earlier, Plaxum, had turned from the person in front of her to pinpoint the source of the new ruckus in the already loud facility. The person behind had also turned to face him. The mystery man was wearing a combat suit similar to his, save for his right arm that sported a silver and dark gray palette. There was also a white tuft of hair sprouting from his head, juxtaposed to the rest of his jet black hair.

'Is that a prosthetic?' Keith thought to himself. As he got closer, more and more details became clear. Details that included how broad his shoulders were, and just how perfectly sculpted he seemed to be under the armor. And that scar across his nose made him loo- 

Keith stopped dead in his tracks. He had to be seeing things. Surely he was imagining the man before him. "Sh-Shiro?!"

This seemed to get the man's full attention as his eyes fell on Keith. He seemed just as surprised as Keith himself did. "Keith?!"

A moment passes before either man makes a move. Well, Shiro moves to catch a reeling Keith before he collapses completely. T'was a sight to behold to the onlookers that knew Keith a rather stoic individual. Even more so to those who thought he was just an edge lord.

They stood in each other's embrace for several ticks before either of them spoke.

Keith, between labored breathing and near silent sobs, could only manage incoherent nonsense. 

"I'm so sorry I couldn't contact you beforehand Keith. I can tell you everything I know about what happened," stated Shiro. And he could tell Keith everything, granted he didn't know _everything_ about the day he 'died'.

 "I thought you were dead for two years! Two! Years! And now you just pop back up like nothing happened!" Keith didn't even know if he was angry, sad, or elated.

That discussion would have to be put on hold. Jaeger duties still came first.

"Look Keith, we'll discuss it later. For now, we have to test the Drift in your.. our Jaeger."

Keith nods as he recollects himself and follows Shiro up to the conn-pod, hoping to see all he needs to know when they Drift.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew lad, this was harder to write than I thought. I won't quit, but jeez.


	3. Back in Black Pt. 2

The constant faint whirring of the conn-pod was the only constant so far. Everything else had been completely reworked, which seemed a little unnecessary. The once subtle pilot space now featured a pulsating purple under-glow and red accents all over the equipment. The old plain machinery was now a very reflective jet black, also sporting red accents. Keith thought it was a welcoming change whereas Shiro didn't seem to care much for the display. 

Neither of them said a word as the crew pointed them to their assigned hemispheres. "I haven't had to be assigned a hemisphere before, whats with the sudden change?" Keith asked himself more than anyone. He glanced over to see a much different mechanism for the right hemisphere relative to his own. Where Keith would articulate movement through a gauntlet that looked like a tech junkies' wet dream, Shiro only had an apparatus that seemed to connect to _something._

"The right hemisphere has been customized to easier incorporate the cybernetic arm Officer Shirogane has," stated one of the JTEC team members. "Not like you were the right hemisphere pilot anyway." He was maybe a notch above a whisper but Keith still heard him. "Now that that's out of the way, I have to brief you before you Drift. Mr. Shirogane here experienced severe trauma the last time he Drifted, and there's a strong possibility that those memories will resurface."

"Its fine, I've been prepared for this for months now. Aside from the occasional phantom pain, I'm fully recovered." The man could only scoff at Shiro's words. "Hm? Is there an issue I need to be aware of?"

"We're actually more worried about Officer Kogane here. He'll experience everything you've been through and vice versa. Meaning he'll experience that same trauma you did." Keith bit back a response about him being able to 'handle it' and instead locked himself into his pilot clamps and leg controllers. As each lock was finalized, the faceplate to his helmet closes, activating the H.U.D in both his helmet and area around him. "I think I can take it."

Shiro smiled at this display and followed suit. Cables from the machinery magnetically attached to his right arm. When his faceplate closes his right arm feels extremely heavy. Before he could really think about it, a voice over the communication system blares through his helmet.

"Alright, both pilots in a neural link. Sync ratios at one hundred. Preparing both pilots for Drift sequence."

"You ready to see how much I've improved." Keith more so stated than asked.

"I can already see that you've gotten better at handling yourself, considering how quickly you recovered." 

"Initiate neural handshake."

Within an instant, the duo were in the Drift. Memories of old unfolding before them before synchronizing with the Jaeger itself. Both had been prepared for the minute jolt, so neither was really fazed during the sequence. That is, until Keith came across the engagement he thought cost Shiro his life.

The day was fairly clear, hardly any cloud cover. The only disturbance was the massive beast ravaging a nearby city. Keith looked around, not in his own body, seeing the events unfold through the eyes of Shiro rather than his own. Shiro's partner, Matthew Holt as he remembers, made a miscalculation on the distance between them and the kaiju, causing them to be caught in a hail of fire from Coyote Tango, another Jaeger that had been deployed alongside them. The force of multiple impacts damaging the the left arm of their Jaeger, Kerberos Neo, as well as crippling it. They were practically defenseless.

The kaiju seemed to notice this, as it had lunged towards the immobile Jaeger with a quick swipe to the conn-pod. The kaiju was felled before it could completely disassemble Neo, but the glancing blow to the head did more than enough damage. The external view most likely didn't warrant much worry, but the inside was definitely a much different beast. The machinery hoisting the pilots had failed, more a liability than anything now. Matt had gotten free and was working quickly to free Shiro before a small explosion knocked him unconscious, followed by a loose section of the inner structure falling onto his leg. Shiro tugged at his arm, trying to free it so he could retrieve Matt.

The entire structure of the conn-pod was collapsing in on itself, and Shiro was trying desperately to free himself so he and Matt could get out of there. His efforts seemed in vein as a considerably large hunk of shrapnel fell from the ceiling above him. Trying desperately to get out of the way, he quickly forgot his arm was still locked into the mechanism of his control section. The shrapnel fell just where his deltoid connected to his arm. The pained wailing caused a knot to form in Keith's stomach. The sight was equally sickening, if not more so. Shiro's arm had been crudely severed, jagged bone protruding from the stump. It was here that Shiro lost conscious and probably assumed dead later.

Shiro, in the present, had been calling out to Keith for several minutes now, trying to snap him back to reality. Keith had chased the rabbit, as the saying goes, and had become too immersed in Shiro's memory, reacting to every thing in real time. Luckily the Jaeger wasn't completely active, only the conn-pod.

Keith had calmed down after a few moments and looked over to his co-pilot. The look on his face conveyed a that he was mortified and impressed at what the older man had endured. Really, he was just happy that Shiro was back in his life.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

"We're doing _what_?!" Lance couldn't help but flail his arms trying to comprehend what he was just told. Needless to say it wasn't working. 

The gruff looking man before him, Iverson, doesn't for a second change his stern expression. "You are being stationed at another Shatterdome, McClain. Is that so hard to understand?"

Pidge stifled her laughter as she watched Lance become even more flustered. "But we just got here! And we can't just leave Hunk and Shay! They're our go-to Jager tag-team!" Okay, he had a point there. They had spent all of their training with Hunk and Shay. They (mostly Pidge) had even devised several tactics to taking on kaiju two on one. 

"Both Cryptic Dancer and Juggernaut Solstice are being prepped to be relocated. That includes the pilots of said Jaegers." Iverson most nearly yelled, still very stone faced. "You've only been deployed once, you shouldn't be so attached."

Lance continued to flail his long arms, now making very unintelligible sounds looking back and forth Pidge to Iverson. She hypothesized that Lance wanted help with the subject at hand, but there's nothing she can really say on the matter. However, his audible distress was fairly upsetting, having caused her to glare at Iverson behind the sheen of her glasses. Glasses she didn't even need, but they had their own heads up display. She averts her gaze when Lance notices, still refusing to come to his aid. His pleading face was rather cute, though. Noted. 

Pidge could only wonder where they'd been assigned, leaving Lance for dead in his 'conversation' with Iverson. She'll have to look into herself if Iverson doesn't know. The news is kind of worrying if she's honest.

**~ 0600 The next day~**

The dynamic duo of Pidge and Lance were wide awake and preparing for their departure. All of their belongings already prepped to be transferred, and their Jaeger already lifted off several hours before hand. They were supposed to be meeting up with Hunk and Shay to grab a bite to eat and head to their new location. Lance, however, seems to have forgotten that, as his pace was painfully slow. "Wonder what they need us for," he says as he looks up to the ceiling, stopping abruptly. 

Pidge, previously fiddling with a small gadget she'd been working on (Rover, was it?), also stops to ponder his question. Was she needed to devise new systems for future Jaegers? They wouldn't exactly _need_ her for that, seeing as her father and brother are both alive and kicking, nor does it explain Hunk and Shay. Maybe they were chosen as a part of an elite strike group, but thats about as likely as a giant blue mechanical lion flying them into the vastness of space to form some super robot to combat an evil alien empire. Heh, very likely. She smiles at the silly thought. 

Perhaps this new Shatterdome was closer to Challenger Deep, home of the Breach. Couldn't be that much closer, there's no land for hundreds of miles. Maybe it's Guam? Couldn't be. Her father could have pulled some strings, but then agai-

"Uhh, hello? Earth to Pidge. Miss Holt. Kaaaaattiieee. Piiiddgee." Oh, forgot about Lance. "Sorry, Lance. Whats up?"

"Whats up? _Whats up_?! How about the fact that we're being shipped to another location in less than 2 hours!" There he goes being dramatic again. His choice of wording only made it that much worse. 

"Lance, we're being relocated, not 'shipped'. We aren't items." Of course she couldn't resist the smirk that formed in the corner of her mouth. Lance's disdain at the current state of reality was pretty amusing. That smirk quickly devolved into near silent giggles. Lance, in the meantime, couldn't figure out for the life of him why Pidge was laughing. 

Before he could actually question her, however, what seemed to be a mass of living muscle had ensnared him into an embrace of epic proportions, cliché as it may sound. That means only one of two things, and he'd rather not even consider the second option viable. That leaves only-

Pidge quit her giggling and looked up, immediately excited by the sight before her. "HUNK!" 

Well, at least Lance got his answer.

"Oh my gosh I am _SO_ happy you two are safe! I heard that kaiju walked all over Mammoth Apostle! Literally! I couldn't help but think you two had gotten into trouble." 

"Hunk, please." Started Lance. Pidge sighed and mumbled 'here we go'. "Do you really think I, the devilishly handsome, extremely talented and combat extraordinaire Lance McClain, would be bested by some kaiju wimp?" Of course he believed what he said, Pidge could vouch for him due to the various Drift sessions, but it was still a bit ridiculous.  She still groans at his unneeded self-praise. 

This he did actually have a point. There's no way in hell they'd be taken out so easily. They'd seen all of the kaiju's tricks before they even got in range. Hell, it was lucky it even managed to Mammoth Apostle down. 

Soon after Lance's self-loving speech and over dramatic depiction of the battle they'd been in a few days ago, Shay made herself known (totally forgot she was there) and confirmed that Hunk had been worried for days. Even long after the kaiju was confirmed dead he was panic cooking in the Shatterdome, feeding a fourth of the personnel over night. Lance and Pidge nearly choked on their laughter as Hunk smiled in embarrassment. The laughing only worsened as Shay made it known that Hunk had also lost his lunch several times over the thought of the green and blue duo being thrashed about. They were all at ease, at least as much as they could be seeing as they fought giant monsters from what Lance assumed was hell for a living.

They grab their meals and make their way to the Jumphawk that'll be transporting them to their new location, their belongings having been sent off an hour beforehand. One the Jumphawk is a man clad in deep navy garbs with strange purple glowing lines across his torso. The group all looked at one another in bewilderment, wondering who this mystery man may be.

"Ah, good morning young Rangers. Didn't think you'd be ready to depart so soon. I am Ulaz Marmora, but you may refer to me as Ulaz. We are Rangers one in the same, after all."

 

 


	5. Forecast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rangers finally arrive at the new Shatterdome, now referred to as paladins, as per request of the woman over the the facility. They are also briefed on their duties.

Lance peered out of the window of the jumphawk, scrutinizing the tiny island in the distance. This Ulaz guy told him they were only a few minutes away, but there wasn't another land mass in sight. He scrunched his eyebrows as he turned to face the aforementioned man. "Okay, just where the hell are we?"

"I can see that your observation skills are lacking," Ulaz as says as the jumphawk slows to a stop, starting its descent. "We have arrived."

Lance, who was already frowning, feigned offense. "I'll have you know that I make the _best_ observations out of everyone on board, thank you!" 

Pidge rolled her eyes and muttered something about "only observing women". Well, she more or less said it loud enough for him to hear, but he chose to mostly ignore it. "To answer your question, we are on a small island named Altea."

This seemed to grasp Pidge's attention. "How come I've never heard of this place? Or any of us, for that matter?" Ulaz glanced her way, seemingly unable to answer. "Yeah, I grew up in the Pacific and I've never even seen this place on a map anywhere," said a curious Hunk. 

"All will be answered at the briefing." Ulaz exits the craft the moment it touches the ground, disappearing from sight almost instantly. Everyone exchanges a brief look at one another before exiting the jumphawk themselves. It is then they notice that another jumphawk had just arrived as well, two other rangers exiting. Of ocurse, one of them is recognized immediately. "Shiro?!"

"Wait, Shiro as in.. Takashi Shirogane? One of the best Mark 3 pilots ever?!" Lance says as Hunk and Shay look on in similar concern. Before Pidge could give him a proper answer, Lance actually notices the other ranger. Deep blue eyes meet blue-gray for a brief second before Lance analyzes the man before him. The hair is th first thing he notices. 'Is that a mullet?! That went of style like, three decades ago.' He then notices the cropped red jacket he wore; very fashionable, if this were some action anime, and very impractical. 'Who would even sell that?' (No seriously, who would sell that?). The worst offense, however, was not his hair or dumb jacket, it was the pair of shoes on his feet.

The shoes the man wore were in stark contrast to his very own, purple sneakers styled after the kaiju Hardship, while Lance wore the pair that were based on the Jaeger that killed said kaiju, Romeo Blue. Lance felt insulted, not only at the fact that he wore opposing shoes, but that his choice of shoe disrespected his favorite Jaeger! Lance made to argue with the man in question, but stopped in his tracks as Pidge stepped in front of him. "Were you even listening?"

"Uh..." was all he could muster.

"Dude, she just explained how she knew Shiro. Turns out her brother was his co-pilot! She's pretty surprised Shiro's alive though, even her brother didn't know he survived what happened." Hunk gasps for air so he can continue, but Shay stops him before he can do so. Shay looks at Lance with her ever-present smile. "Her story was quite nice. A shame you did not get to hear."

Lance warily looks back at Pidge, who is more or less glaring at him. She absolutely _hates_ when he doesn't listen. That had gotten them both into trouble more than they could count back at the Training Base in Alaska. 

"Sorry K-."

"I apologize for interrupting, but you must follow me to where you'll be briefed of the situation rangers." 

They nodded and followed the young man that had seemed to appear from nowhere.

**~In the Conference Room~**

They had all been fiddling with different things since they were escorted into the room they were currently situated in. Lance was currently admiring his surroundings, the pulsating lights on the smooth floors, it all looked so.. otherworldly and yet familiar. Hunk and Shay were discussing food recipes with the list of ingredients they had requested before while waiting, having already written down twenty or so dishes. Pidge had gone to tinkering with "Rover", as she called it. The small device glowed occasionally as she worked out the wiring to power unit. They all stopped immediately when they heard the doors to the room slide open for the first time in thirty minutes. 

Several people came in, the first few donning uniforms that signified high rank. They were followed by Shiro and his partner, who subsequently took their seats. Last but not least came the woman that would be informing them of the situation. She wore a large , multi-colored dress reminiscent of what would be worn by a princess. Her skin was pleasantly dark, highlighted nicely by the variety of blues, pink, and white of her dress. There were pink markings on her cheeks, just below the edges of her eyes that really caught the eye. 

Before she could speak, Lance took it upon himself to flirt, as usual. "Are you a kaiju? 'Cause you're outta this world." His raised eyebrow and flirtatious smirk only added fuel to the fire. His comment was accompanied by a pair of groans and a giggle from Shay, who was always quite amused at Lance's flirting. 

The woman only appeared to be mildly annoyed as she looked over everyone that sat before her. "I take it you're Officer McClain, then."

"The name's La- wait you know my name?" Lance asked, clearly puzzled. 

"I know all of your names. I am the one that gathered you all here. My name is Allura Altea, Princess of Altea. Welcome to the Castle of Lions."

"Why's it called the Castle of Lions?" asked Pidge. "My people believed that lions are a symbol of power unattainable by man," informed Allura, seemingly prepared for the question. 

"How come we've never heard of Altea? Seems like this place has been here a long, long time," Hunk asked while looking at the art on the walls. 

"My father, and the kings before him, requested to be unknown to common world. I was never informed why that was the case, but nevertheless their wishes were well met by compliance."

"Well, what about your accent? Sounds kind of British." This time it was Lance who questioned her.

"My people are of English descent. A history we are not very fond of." There was a long silence before Allura spoke again, awaiting any more questions.

"Now, the subject at hand. You're here because another Breach was detected just over fifty miles from here. The Shatterdome had just been completed when it was detected, and luckily no kaiju have emerged just yet. I requested that there be Jaegers stationed here immediately as a means of first response." Allura stated this as if the contents of her statement were as normal as the sunrise.

"There's a second Breach?!" Everyone, besides Shiro, exclaimed. Of course they were shocked, the world was hard pressed as it was against the one that already existed. They were all visibly distressed at the news, but were otherwise fine. 

After a brief silence, Keith finally spoke up. "Okay, there's a second breach, but why did you choose us?" His questioned had drawn all eyes to Allura, who clearly didn't crack under scrutiny of others.

However, instead of Allura, it was Ulaz who spoke. "You were chosen not because of your skills individually or as copilots, but for your capacity of seamless teamwork. Each of you have excelled in working with others at every level of training, as well as actual combat situations, and we require only the best for a situation like this."

"Yes, and I expect you all to develop efficient tactics as a team. You will be performing the first six person Drift to develop a team-wide bond," Allura inserts the moment Ulaz finishes. "Ah, and from here on out you will be referred to as the Paladins on the Voltron Task Force."

"Vol-tron?" asks Shiro, finally speaking up.

"Yes, Voltron, a legendary warrior that protected us many years ago." Allura said ecstatically. "We often call upon his warriors spirit to raise morale!"

"Girl, you've already raised my 'mora-"

" _Lance!_ " Both Pidge and Hunk interrupt before he can complete his statement. 

Keith sighs in mild annoyance, clearly confused as to how he was chosen. He positive he wouldn't be getting along with this Lance character.

This is gonna be a long assignment.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't sure how to go about this, and I'm not sure how it'll be received but here it is anyway!  
> Next chapter brings the 6 person drift session AND the first deployment as a team. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, if there's anything you see that could be better, don't be afraid to let me know.


	6. Three for the Price of One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No issues to be had here. Not even one.

The room that would soon host the multi-crew drift session was nothing more than an over sized conn-pod, according to Lance at least. In reality, the facility was more akin to the training pods back in Alaska, only with more sections for several more pilots at a time. Pidge and Hunk marveled at the set up, impressed with how the neural load would be split evenly between everyone involved. 

"So, when exactly does this... session start?" Shiro asks hesitantly, unsure if he's really permitted to ask the question. The whole situation has him worried, which doesn't go unnoticed by the others. Who could blame him though, a drift with more than two pilots had never been done before.

Allura enters the room as if she were summoned by Shiro's question, looking far too cheerful for the situation. "Okay everyone, everything is prepped and ready for launch. Paladins, prepare to enter the Drift." And with that, she clasps her hands together, smiling excitedly for this little experiment of hers.  After her proclamation, each of the six pilot's helmets initiate the Pons system, relay gel becoming transparent in their visors and spinal clamps already in place, though they weren't needed. After a few rough seconds, the neural bridge is stable enough to establish the Neural Handshake. 

The Drift works without much issue, each 'paladin' experiencing some memory from one another before the Handshake is accomplished. Now, just what are they going to concentrate on? It isn't as if they are actually piloting a jaeger at the moment. Before anyone can voice their concern, the blank screen adjacent to the hatch that leads into the room flickers to life to reveal a combat simulation. 

Lance flinches at the sudden appearance of a kaiju, fear reverberating through the neural bridge. It quickly dies down as he realizes its only a simulation, turning slightly to hide the embarrassment thats written all over his face as he hears a snort and quiet snickers from behind him. To be fair, he hadn't expected anything of the sort. 

"Now for the training exercise," starts Allura, snapping everyone out of their amused chuckles, "you must take on multiple kaiju at once!"

"Wait, wait. What?! Why at the same time?!"

"I'm with Lance on this one. We don't ever get more than one kaiju out of the breach. If anything, it should be the other way around," adds Hunk.

"Because we don't know the nature of the new breach. There very well could be a situation in which several kaiju emerge at once. We must be prepared for anything."

While the princess did have a point, even Shiro could agree that it was a bit unreasonable. Either way, they are expected to deliver a performance. 

"Alright guys, looks like we don't have a much of choice in the matter. Follow my lead," orders Shiro. 

Keith smirks at Shiro's take charge attitude, but that smirk quickly fades into a deep frown as they enter virtual combat. Needless to say, they get their _collective asses_ handed to them with four kaiju at once proving to be far too many for one jaeger. Allura wasn't disappointed by their performance in the least, though. In fact, she was quite impressed that they managed to take out three kaiju before being overwhelmed. 

"You seem quite pleased, Princess."

"Yes Coran, I am _very_ pleased. They managed well in the face of adversity and impossible odds."

"Well you could just call us UPS, 'cause we deliver," Lance interjects, earning him a punch in the arm from both Hunk and Pidge. "Ow! C'mon guys that was a good one."

"Not even in the slightest." Lance whips his head around with concerning speed to a bewildered Keith. "I said that out loud?"

"Who even _asked_ you mullet? You're just jealous of my great comedy." Lance says it so matter-of-factly that even Keith almost believes it. Almost. He can only bring himself to mutter a near silent "as if" before falling in step with Shiro to leave the room. 'Well that was easy,' Lance thinks.

"Lance that was.. that was pretty bad man." Pidge only nods in agreement, obviously ready to just leave the room, just as everyone beside the three of them had already.

 

Video games were Pidge and Lance's ideal method of winding down. They worked well enough together, so a little competition between the two wouldn't hurt anything, though Lance would lose nine times out of ten.

"Hey Pidge?" Lance asks, sounding little more than curious.

Pidge peered over from her spot on the bed, losing focus on the game in front of her. "Whats up?"

"About that whole... six person drift earlier. How did you feel about that? Kinda still feels like there're other people in my head besides you. Kinda weird if you ask me. I mean, I don't really mind but you're the only person I _want_ rummaging around up there."

Pidge, stunned by his words, sits in silence attempting answer his question, all the while sporting a tinge of red she really hoped Lance couldn't see. Parting her lips to answer him, Pidge is interrupted by the emergency alarms of the Shatterdome. 

"Oh for the the love of- quiznack!"

Lance, despite the blaring alarms, bursts into laughter. "What did you just say?! Was that even English? Is the genius Katie Holt making up words now?"

Pidge opts to ignore him as she pulls her sweater over her head and makes to leave for the command room with Lance trailing close behind her, still snickering. Upon arrival they are met with a light wave from Hunk and Shay and nothing more than a nod from Keith as Shiro was busy conversing with Allura over the current situation. From the looks of it, a kaiju had already emerged. A rather large one at that. Far bigger than any beforehand, it was almost akin to a moving island. The kaiju in question, codename Philosopher, was on a path toward the mainland. Looks like they had already have a situation on their hands.

"Paladins, you must divert the course of the kaiju to an unpopulated area along the coast. No civilian must know of this kaiju, is that understood? You know of the consequence of the public. Ulaz and Thace are already en route to intercept. You six will be joining them as soon as possible." Allura's tone was desperate, almost in stark contrast to her optimistic demeanor from earlier. It really doesn't suit her. 

"We'd better go suit up. The more time we waste here the more time those two'll be out there alone taking on that behemoth." 

"Shiro's right, we can't just let them take that thing on alone!" Keith says, rushing out of the room, seemingly eager to take throw himself into combat. Everyone else followed suit soon after, silently agreeing with the duo's words. This is crazy, they'd just arrived a day ago and they're already about to enter combat. Excalibur Black was the first of the three jaegers to intercept, both Keith and Shiro already wearing their undersuits prior to the alarm. Cryptic Dancer and Juggernaut Solstice followed soon after, heading for a point closer to the mainland to deter the kaiju's path. 

"So we've already been thrust back into the action huh? Hasn't even been week since that last encounter." Lance sighs, only happy that he can play the hero once again. Pidge smiles beside herself, no more excited than Lance to see combat again so soon. It wasn't as if their first endeavor into the field yielded bad results, quite the opposite, rather they don't wish to experience the death of fellow rangers, and this time they were deployed with their friends. 

"Eyes forward, nerves in check, swallow any unnecessary comments and lets go kick some kaiju ass," Pidge says, hoping her confidence is bleeding into Lance. "Yeah! This 'Philosopher' won't even know what hit it." Yeah, seems to have worked. She should have knew it would due to the nature of the Drift. She glances over at her partner only to make eye contact with the man. 

"What? Something on my face?" She asks.

"Unless you count beauty, no." The words escaped his mouth before he had any chance of processing his thoughts. Oh well

"You two are aware that the comm channels are open, right?" chimed in Hunk from his own conn-pod over the communications system. They'd both forgot about that one detail, despite hearing chatter from the others all the same. No time to talk about this now though, as the group was about to arrive at the drop zone. 

Violet Djinn had already begun their engagement with Philosopher, utilizing the jaeger's point-defense system to fire from multiple points at once. The weaponry, while effective on lesser kaiju, proved to be little more than an annoyance to the colossal deviant; however, the creature didn't ignore their efforts. Thace and Ulaz were met with the bright cyan gaze of serpent like monster, it's elongated neck stemming from below the surface of the water, as if they were staring into a star. A star that stared right back. Just as the kaiju reared it's admittedly captivating head, sporting a bioluminescent crest atop its smooth head, the kaiju's signature split into three, immediately alerting those in back at the shatterdome.

Philosopher finally received a rank: Category four, while the other two masses were given the designations Fujin and Thardus. Allura's eyes go wide, quickly making to alert the paladins. It is J-Tech officer Rolo Scanton that manages to inform the group. "Rang- er, paladins of Voltron Strike Group. Do be aware of the change of situation. The kaiju we thought to be Philosopher was actually three separate kaiju. Two catagory fours and a.. a, that can't be right. No, there hasn't been one before!"

"What do you mean  _there's never been one before?"_ asks an increasingly worried Shiro. This night really couldn't get any worse. "A Category five. Codenamed Thardus." Rolo responds immediately.

Oh, it just got worse.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alas, I return to this earlier than intended, but now I know this part of the story won't be very long since I want the group to participate in the first movie's events.


End file.
